Popularly
known as Lord Ganesh's wife, Kolabou in reality has no relationship with
Ganesh. Our scriptures call her Nabapatrika. Interestingly enough, Nabapatrika
was actually a popular ritual performed by the peasant folks for prosperous
harvest. As idol worship was not common then, people worshipped Mother
nature. It was during the autumn (Sharat), the time for reaping crops
("Amondhan"), peasants worshipped Goddess Nabapatrika for good
harvest.

Later
when Durga Puja became a popular festival of "Sharat", all the
nine holy rituals of the Nabapatrika, were added to the ceremonies of
Durga Puja. Infact Nabapatrika represented the primitive form of Durga
Puja. This primitive form of worship is still prevalent in some places.

Bathing
Ritual______________________________________In the
early hours of Saptami, the twigs of white "aparajita" plant
along with nine bunches of yellow threads are used to tie the Nabapatrika.
It is then bathed. In our scriptures the elaborate bathing ritual of nabapatrika
is compared with the coronation of a King. Just like the King is bathed
with waters from holy places and oceans, bathing nabapatrika too requires
the same. All the nine Goddesses representing nabapatrika are bathed with
waters from 8 different holy places. This bathing ritual is accompanied
with varied mantras and diverse musical instruments for different goddesses.

The Holy
Waters and The Ragas_______________The first pot holds
the holy water of the Ganges which is accompanied with Malob Raga.
The second pot holds rain water which is accompanied with Lalit Raga.
The third pot holds water from river Saraswati which is accompanied with
Vibhash Raga with Dundhabi beats. The fourth pot holds ocean water which
is accompanied with Bhairavi Raga with Bhim beats. The fifth pot holds
mixture of Lotus pollen in holy water which is accompanied with Gaur Raga
and mahendrabhishek beats. The sixth pot holds spring water which is

accompanied
with Barari Raga and sound of conch shell. The seventh pot holds water
from all holy places which is accompanied with Vasant Raga and sound of
conch shell. The eighth pot holds holy water which is accompanied with
Dhanshirag Raga and Bhairavi beats.

An Elaborate Affair In The Babu Era______Earlier
the bathing ritual of Nabapatrika was an elaborate affair for the Babus.
Long processions accompanied with musical instruments and much fanfare
was common then. With idol worship gaining ground, nabapatrika slowly
lost its importance. The bathing ritual is a small affair now. Water
from the Ganges or some nearby pond accompanied with Dhak and Kanshi finishes
of the ceremony which was once a very lengthy affair.
After the bathing ceremony Nabapatrika is adorned
in red bordered white saari and vermilion is smeared on its leaves. She
is then placed on a decorated pedestal and worshipped with flowers,
sandalwood paste and incense sticks. Later she is placed on the right
side of Lord Ganesh. This is the reason she is popularly known as Ganesh's
wife.